Author: Zazu
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Sap
Pairings: 5+R
Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing, nor do I own the characters. I have borrowed them here for some fun and creativity, and this is not for profit. I do, however, own the plot mentioned here, and any instances that you may find similar to real life events are purely a coincidence.
Notes: Not beta-read. The title, "Dong Zhi" means Winter Solstice, and is the name of the celebration today.
Dong Zhi
When Wufei awoke from his nap, he was surprised to find Relena gone from the bed. The reason he'd been there for a nap to begin with was because Relena had been tired and had refused to nap without him there.
He pulled on a shirt and a loose pair of pants before leaving the bedroom. A quick look into Relena's study told him Relena was elsewhere.
When he ventured into the kitchen to get a drink of water, he was surprised to find Relena there. What surprised him more was what she appeared to be making when he got close enough to see.
"Awake?" Relena asked with a smile.
"Mm," he answered, slipping his arms around her waist and kissing the side of her head. "What are you doing?"
"Making tangyuan1," she said. He smiled at her Mandarin, leaning his cheek against the side of her head.
"Why?"
"Today's the Winter Solstice," she said. "Dong Zhi, right?"
Wufei thought for a moment and nodded.
"And you're supposed to eat this in celebration right?"
Wufei smiled. "How did you know that?"
"Research," Relena said absently. "Have you ever made this before?"
"Once, with my mother when I was very young."
"Am I doing it right?" Relena asked, not bothering to apologize for bringing up Wufei's past because she knew that Wufei would just wave it off.
"Do we have ginger?"
"Yes we do. Why?"
"You need ginger for the soup."
"Okay. But am I doing this right?"
Wufei took up some of the glutinous rice flour into his hand, flattening it onto his palm. Relena had already cut up the small chunks of sugar cane rock candy, and he set it in the middle before gathering the flour around it.
Placing the lumpy ball onto Relena's hand, he took Relena's other hand and set it over the ball. Holding Relena's hands in his own, he gently guided her hands in a rolling motion so that the ball would be rounded out.
"The concept of the tangyuan is to be round," he said. "And the idea behind it is that the roundness implies harmony." He opened their hands and watched as Relena gently rolled the ball onto the plate she had prepared.
One by one, they rolled each of the tangyuan together, and each time they finished one, Wufei leaned down and gave Relena a brief kiss.
They hadn't made dinner yet, but neither of them wanted to wait to eat the tangyuan. The sun had long set; Dong Zhi was for the shortest day and the longest night of the year. Relena watched as Wufei placed a slice of ginger into the pot and brought the water to a boil before adding the tangyuan. They waited in silence until Wufei deemed them cooked, and he scooped them up into a single bowl.
Taking Relena by the hand, he guided her to the kitchen table and they sat down side by side. Relena took up one of the spoons and scooped up one of the little white balls, blowing on it to cool it. Then, she offered it to Wufei.
Wufei blew on the little white ball again before accepting it. Relena watched as he chewed and swallowed; she could immediately tell that Wufei liked this dessert. She had never seen him eat it before though, and she realized that the meaning behind the dessert was very important to Wufei.
Then, Wufei leaned forward to kiss her again. "Thank you, my love, my family, wo de jia."2
She kissed him back. "Happy Winter Solstice."
"Happy Winter Solstice," he said, sipping a spoon of the soup before offering a cooled tangyuan to her. Watching her eat it and seeing her smile warmed Wufei's heart.
"So," Relena said softly. "If it's the start of winter and the longest night of the year...can we also celebrate it my way?"
"How is that?" Wufei asked, although he had a pretty good idea.
"Finish this, make me dinner, wash the dishes and then I'll show you."
OWARI
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